WCC shines the spotlight on commercial art May 3-28 when the vision and creativity of WCC graphic design students goes on display in the College’s Gallery One. An artist reception will be held Wednesday, May 12, at 5:30pm in the Gallery, which is located on the first floor of the Student Center building.

This year, the annual Ann Arbor Earth Day celebration combines forces with WCC’s own Earth Day for a festival that combines education, entertainment, and fun in a location close to both Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. On Sunday, April 25, from noon to 4:00pm the Ann Arbor Area Earth Day Festival will fill WCC’s Morris Lawrence building and the surrounding campus green with Earth-focused exhibits and activities.

This fall, the Ypsilanti Community Band will partner with WCC to provide a new opportunity for College students who are passionate about musical performance in the new Washtenaw Community Concert Band.

When you step across the threshold of WCC’s Gallery One now through Feb. 24, you are struck with the unsettling feeling that a subtle layer of humanity has been deftly peeled away. That feeling draws you farther into a labyrinth of three-quarter walls and oddly shaped spaces, as you pause thoughtfully at the striking pieces of artwork on display.

For some WCC students, Welcome Day in September is their first introduction to life on campus. Usually held shortly after classes begin, Welcome Day showcases a host of activities on campus that are open to everyone. A Welcome Day for Winter Semester will be held Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Outside the west entrance to WCC’s Morris Lawrence building, shooting skyward like the fountain in the pond adjacent to it, is a brightly polished stainless steel sculpture. The artwork evokes the nature surrounding it and the music emanating from the building next to it, the unmistakable signature style of famed Mexican artist Leonardo Nierman.

On the first floor of the Crane Liberal Arts and Science building, a group of students is standing around, sketchpads in hand, studying a row of very large and colorful pictures of prehistoric animals. Geology students? Maybe. Biology class? Could be. But this particular group is an illustration class closely examining the styles of the various artists who contributed to this exhibit.